In 1958, Mildred and Richard Loving were sent to jail for marrying interracially. During this time a white man and black woman, or any race combination for that matter, was politically and socially incorrect. All they wanted was to be together for the rest of their lives and they weren't going to let a racist society dictate their dreams. They took their case to court and won setting the stage for interracial relationships to be accepted in 2017.

I've been with my boyfriend for three and a half years and we've had nothing short of an incredible relationship. I can't imagine a world where it was illegal to be with my soul mate. Of course there are still some places in this country where we'd be as rare as a diamond and although we've been fortunate enough to live in a fairly liberal and diverse region, occasionally we get some weird looks and questions.

Does your family approve of your relationship?

Our family has been very accepting of our relationship from the start. Interracial relationships aren't common in either of our families but both of us were accepted with open arms.

Isn't it awkward to talk about race?

We’re very open with each other and we talk about anything and everything. It's never awkward to talk about race. In fact, it's something that we should be talking about.

Do you like the same music?

I've been fortunate enough to find someone who loves rock music as much as I do. But when the holidays come around and my family is jamming out to The Temptations “Silent Night” it's an interesting experience for both of us.

Do you have a problem dating in your own race?

I love my people and I'm a very proud African American woman. He just happens to be the man I fell in love with. It really doesn't matter what race he is. At the end of the day, race is the last thing that really matters.

Don't you know your kids will be discriminated against for being mixed?

The world is slowly but surely becoming more accepting and hopefully won't be as big of a deal at that time. However, we will not raise our kids to be ashamed of who they are. When the time comes, we will have beautiful children who are proud of their diverse ancestry.

The Loving's weren't afraid to fight for their love and by doing so opened up a world for other people to love without discrimination. I'm very grateful to live in a place where it isn't illegal to be with the person you love, no matter how similar or different you are. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter as long ad you're with your soul mate.